It's the dream prize for any budding author - the chance to see your book published. So, it was no surprise that when we launched our Flirty Fiction competition back in January, to find a sparkling new writer for the world's largest romance publisher, Mills & Boon, we were inundated with entries.

We asked readers to submit a synopsis and first chapter, and the judges spent hours poring over the manuscripts and debating. The standard was exceptionally high, but, finally, they reached their verdict: Rachel Dove, with her fabulously flirty entry, The Chic Boutique on Baker Street.

'Elegant and lively,' - Cathy Rentzenbrink, Prima's books editor

They loved her story about a woman who gives up her job as a high powered city lawyer to run a craft shop in a small village. There, she falls in love with the handsome vet, who just happens to own the dog grooming parlour next door.

Along with a £500 cash prize, Rachel will be working with Mills & Boon editors to complete her book ready to hit the shelves next year. But until then, read the first chapter in the Prima August issue, on sale now.

Mum of two Rachel, 33, from Wakefield, Yorkshire, says: 'I'm absolutely thrilled to have been chosen.

'As a kid, I was a complete bookworm; people used to joke that I was like Matilda, the Roald Dahl character!

'As I got older, I began writing as well as reading, keeping a diary and filling notebooks with ideas and observations.

'I've always loved romance novels especially Jane Austen, and am a sucker for a rom-com film too, so when I read about the competition in Prima, I jumped at it - I just needed an idea.

'My husband Peter, who's an electrician, had just opened up his own sunbed shop next door to a dog grooming parlour. Helping him out, an idea for a romance between two shop owners began to form in my mind.

'Once I had the idea, it didn't take long to write and after I'd sent it off, I decided to put it out of my mind completely. So when I got a phone call from Prima's editor Gaby saying I'd won, I almost jumped out of my skin with surprise!

'Being published by a company as prestigious as Mills & Boon is such an honour. It really is my childhood dream come true!'

Thank you to everyone who entered. We were bowled over by the level of talent out there. And you never know... one day, like Rachel, it could be you.

Read the full interview with our winner Rachel and the flirty first chapter of her book in Prima's August issue, on sale now.

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